Here, we discuss the speculations and rumours regarding the upcoming Maruti-Toyota midsize SUV for the Indian car market
Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are currently developing a few new models for the Indian market. Among these upcoming vehicles is a midsize SUV, expected to debut sometime during the next year. Although the details about this upcoming Maruti-Toyota SUV are under wraps, there are a lot of speculations floating around about it.
Here, we take a look at the top five things that the forthcoming midsize Maruti-Toyota SUV is expected to offer.
Bold design
Maruti Suzuki is slowly gravitating towards bolder designs, as seen on the new Celerio. Even the Baleno facelift and next-gen Vitara Brezza will have aggressive exterior styling, revealed in the spy pictures. As for Toyota, it has never been shy of eye-catchy car designs. Thus, we’re sure the midsize SUV will likely have a quirky styling.
Premium interior
In keeping with the times, Maruti and Toyota are expected to offer a premium cabin design on this new midsize SUV. One of the biggest criticisms of the current S-Cross is its lacklustre interior, which doesn’t hold a candle to rivals like MG Astor and Skoda Kushaq. We also expect a lot of additional features to be offered on the new SUV, like a large infotainment touchscreen, an electric sunroof, all-LED lighting, up to 6 airbags, etc.
Powertrain
This upcoming Maruti-Toyota SUV will likely be powered by the former’s 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-4 petrol engine, with a peak power of 105 PS and a maximum torque of 138 Nm on tap. Some reports suggest that it could get a more powerful mild hybrid system, and the transmission choices could be upgraded to a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Platform
Speculations suggest that this upcoming SUV will be based on Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA), which is a low-cost version of Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA). This platform underpins a few global models, like Toyota Raize and Diahatsu Rocky.
Expected launch and rivals
This new SUV will serve as the replacement for the slow-selling S-Cross in Maruti’s lineup, and will likely go on sale before the end of 2022. Toyota’s version would arrive a few months after that with minor design changes. Upon launch, they will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor, etc.
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